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<\/p>\nRatings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week\u2019s edition, ABC and ESPN deliver the largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998 with 23.8 million viewers; ESPN\u2019s Stanley Cup Final averages 5 million viewers through four games for its best start since 2015; ESPN closes the most-watched WCWS on record as Texas repeats; NBC and Peacock post the second-largest U.S. Women\u2019s Open final-round audience since 2014 as Nelly Korda wins; ESPN scores the most-watched NCAA Baseball Super Regionals since 2009; FOX and FS1 draw 3.73 million viewers for the 158th Belmont Stakes; and much more.<\/p>\n
NBA, NHL Finals Dominate Ratings for Week of June 1-7<\/p>\n
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For the week of June 1-June 7, top ratings sports broadcasts were a mix of NBA Finals, NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Belmont Stakes, NCAA softball, NCAA baseball, soccer, golf, NASCAR, WNBA, and MLB.<\/p>\n
The NBA Finals netted the top 2 spots with ABC\u2019s Game 1 delivering 16.94 million on June 3 and Game 2 of earning 16.43 million viewers on June 5. The first three games of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on ABC rounded out the top 5, followed by FOX\u2019s Belmont Stakes, and CBS\u2019s PGA Tour Memorial Tournament. Other big performers in the Top 25 included NCAA Women\u2019s College World Series with four slots and the WNBA with three. \u00a0<\/p>\n
NBA Finals: ABC and ESPN\u2019s Second Most-Watched Finals Ever Through Three Games<\/p>\n
ABC and ESPN\u2019s coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals is averaging 19.1 million viewers through three games \u2014 the second most-watched NBA Finals ever on the networks, up 114% vs. last year\u2019s championship series \u2014 per Nielsen Big Data + Panel. The series headliner came Monday, June 8, as Game 3 averaged 23.8 million viewers and peaked at 26.3 million at 11:15 p.m. ET \u2014 the largest NBA Finals Game 3 audience since 1998, the largest television audience since Super Bowl LX in February, and up 159% vs. last year\u2019s Game 3. Game 3 was the most-watched program of the day across all of television and in all key male and adult demos for June 8.<\/p>\n
The series opened with the New York Knicks\u2019 Wednesday, June 3, win over the San Antonio Spurs, which averaged 16.93 million viewers on ABC and peaked at 19.63 million at 11 p.m. ET \u2014 ABC\u2019s most-watched Game 1 since 2018, the most-watched Game 1 on ABC ever excluding Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers matchups, up 90% YoY, and the most-watched NBA Finals game overall since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals. The Knicks\u2019 105\u2013104 Game 2 win on Thursday, June 5, averaged 16.43 million viewers and peaked at 19.42 million at 11:15 p.m. ET \u2014 ABC\u2019s most-watched Game 2 since 2018 and up 88% YoY. NBA Finals All-Access with The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN\u2019s alternate Game 3 presentation, averaged 1.1 million viewers \u2014 the most-watched NBA alternate telecast ever on ESPN. Game 4 was set for Wednesday, June 10, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC; ESPN has produced the NBA Finals on ABC since 2003.<\/p>\n
NHL Stanley Cup Final: ESPN Averages 5M Through Four Games, Best Start Since 2015<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s exclusive presentation of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final is averaging 5 million viewers through four games \u2014 the largest championship series audience through four games since 2015 and the fourth-best Stanley Cup Final through four games since 1994, with the series-to-date audience up 101% YoY. The series has featured overtime drama, multiple one-goal games, and momentum swings throughout the first four contests.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s Game 4 (June 9) on ABC averaged 5.3 million viewers as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 5\u20133 in Las Vegas to even the series at 2-2 \u2014 the largest Game 4 audience since 2017 (Pittsburgh-Nashville, NBC), up 104% vs. Game 4 of the 2025 Final on Turner Networks and up 74% vs. Game 4 of the 2024 Final on ABC, peaking at 6.4 million from 10:30\u201310:45 p.m. ET. Game 3 (Saturday, June 6) was a double-overtime thriller that averaged 5 million viewers and peaked at 6.1 million from 11:45 p.m.\u2013midnight, ranking as the most-viewed Stanley Cup Final Game 3 in 24 years \u2014 second-most since 1994, trailing only Red Wings-Hurricanes in 2002 (5.5 million, ABC). Game 3 was up 117% vs. 2025 and up 51% vs. 2024, and featured the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history and a four-goal Carolina comeback to force overtime. Game 2 (Thursday, June 4) averaged 4.7 million viewers \u2014 the most-viewed Stanley Cup Final Game 2 since 2015 (Chicago-Tampa Bay, NBC) and ESPN\u2019s second most-watched Game 2 in its history, outdrawing every Game 2 ESPN\/ABC have aired except 1997. Game 2 was up 88% vs. 2025 and up 33% vs. 2024, peaking at 5.8 million at 10:45 p.m. Game 1 delivered the largest Stanley Cup Final Game 1 audience since 2019 (St. Louis-Boston, NBC). The series returns to Raleigh for Game 5 Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, and Emily Kaplan calling the action.<\/p>\n
Belmont Stakes: FOX and FS1 Combine for 3.73 Million Viewers as Golden Tempo Wins<\/p>\n
FOX and FS1\u2019s combined coverage of the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets averaged 3.73 million viewers, peaking at 4.71 million viewers from 7:00\u20137:15 p.m. ET as Golden Tempo crossed the wire to win, per Nielsen Media Research.<\/p>\n
WCWS: ESPN Delivers Most-Watched Women\u2019s College World Series on Record<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s presentation of the 2026 NCAA Women\u2019s College World Series was the most-watched WCWS on record, averaging 1.6 million viewers across 16 games, up 20% vs. last year\u2019s previous all-time high. A record 15 WCWS games surpassed the million-viewer mark, with four eclipsing 2 million. The two-game championship Finals between Texas and Texas Tech \u2014 won by the Longhorns for their second-straight national title \u2014 averaged 2.2 million viewers, the second most-watched WCWS Finals on record. Game 2 on ESPN\/ESPNU averaged 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.0 million, making it the most-watched college softball game ever (up 16% YoY). Game 1 averaged 1.9 million viewers and peaked at 2.1 million \u2014 the third most-watched WCWS Finals Game 1 ever.<\/p>\n
The full 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament averaged 755,000 viewers across ESPN networks, up 28% YoY \u2014 the best tournament audience since 2011 \u2014 and produced 19 telecasts with more than 1 million viewers across Regionals, Super Regionals, and Oklahoma City. The Super Regionals averaged 695,000 viewers (up 48% YoY, most-watched on record), led by Arizona State-Texas (1.3 million), Texas Tech-Florida (1.1 million), and Nebraska-Oklahoma State (1.1 million). The Regional round was up 41% YoY, the most-watched since 2016. The NCAA Softball Selection Special Presented by Capital One averaged 325,000 viewers, up 27% YoY. Conference championship telecasts set network records: Texas-Alabama on May 9 drew 847,000 viewers, ESPN\u2019s most-watched SEC Championship game since 2015; Arizona State-Texas Tech in the Big 12 final drew 597,000 viewers (most-watched Big 12 Championship on record); and Virginia Tech-Florida State in the ACC final drew 589,000 (ESPN\u2019s most-watched ACC Championship ever). The regular season, with more than 2 billion minutes of game coverage consumed, averaged 292,000 viewers \u2014 up 78% YoY and ESPN\u2019s most-watched college softball regular season since 2009.<\/p>\n
U.S. Women\u2019s Open: NBC Sports Posts Second-Largest Final Round Since 2014 as Nelly Korda Wins<\/p>\n
NBC Sports\u2019 presentation of the U.S. Women\u2019s Open at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., delivered the event\u2019s second-largest final-round audience since 2014, averaging 1.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, per Nielsen Big Data + Panel and Adobe Analytics. Sunday\u2019s final round peaked at 2.2 million viewers from 7:45\u20138 p.m. ET as Nelly Korda captured her first U.S. Women\u2019s Open title with a putt on the 18th hole \u2014 what she described to NBC Sports\u2019 Cara Banks as \u201ca nice ice cream swirl to cap off the day.\u201d Sunday\u2019s audience was up 78% YoY and trailed only the 2023 event at Pebble Beach (1.6 million) as the most-watched final round since Michelle Wie\u2019s win in 2014 (2.0 million). Saturday\u2019s coverage averaged 1 million viewers, up 76% YoY. NBC Sports presents the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., June 18\u201321, with 31 live hours of championship coverage across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN.<\/p>\n
UFL: Louisville Kings-Battlehawks Semifinal Drives 5% YoY Season Bump on FOX<\/p>\n
FOX\u2019s UFL playoff semifinal on Sunday averaged 1,066,000 viewers as the Louisville Kings defeated the St. Louis Battlehawks to advance to the United Bowl, up 22% from the 2025 UFL Playoff game on FOX (873,000), per Nielsen Media Research. Peak viewership reached 1,351,000 from 8:45\u20139:00 p.m. ET. With the semifinal added, the complete UFL season on FOX (including playoffs) averaged 693,000 viewers, up 5% vs. last year\u2019s 659,000.<\/p>\n
NCAA Baseball Super Regionals: ESPN Posts Most-Watched Round Since 2009<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s 2026 NCAA Baseball Super Regionals averaged 608,000 viewers across ESPN networks, up 31% YoY and marking the round\u2019s largest audience since 2009. The round was also the most-consumed Super Regionals ever, with USC-North Carolina (1.3 million viewers) and Georgia-Mississippi State (1.2 million) ranking as the two most-watched Super Regional telecasts on record. Five of the 10 most-watched telecasts on record for the round came from the 2026 edition.<\/p>\n
NASCAR: Cup Series at Michigan Up 17% YoY on Prime Video; Trucks Race Among Top 3 on FS1 This Season<\/p>\n
The NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan (Prime Video, Sunday, June 7) averaged 2.07 million viewers per Nielsen\u2019s Big Data + Panel measurement, up 17% vs. last year\u2019s comparable race from Michigan International Speedway \u2014 the largest YoY jump of the entire 2026 NASCAR season when measured against the same-week race from 2025. The race earned a 0.89 household rating and peaked at 2.60 million viewers from 6:30\u20136:44 p.m. ET, up 24% vs. last year\u2019s peak, as Denny Hamlin captured his 63rd Cup Series victory to tie Kyle Busch for ninth on the all-time list. Sunday\u2019s race delivered double-digit gains across all key demos under 55 vs. 2025: P18-34 up 18% to 231,000; P18-49 up 23% to 585,000; and P25-54 up 13% to 725,000. Viewers 55+ were up 12%. Through three races, NASCAR on Prime is averaging 2.45 million viewers, up 8% vs. last season\u2019s first three races (2.27 million), with a median age of 57.3 \u2014 nearly six years younger than NASCAR Cup Series races on linear channels this season (63.1). NASCAR Live from Michigan pre-race averaged 580,000 viewers, up 24% YoY; the 65-minute NASCAR Live from Victory Lane post-race show averaged 1.10 million, up 14% YoY. Through three races, pre-race coverage is averaging 963,000 (up 28%) and post-race 1.01 million (up 7%).<\/p>\n
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 at Michigan (FS1, Saturday, June 6) earned a 0.37 household rating with 657,000 average viewers per minute and peaked at 879,000 from 3:45\u20134:00 p.m. ET. The race ranked as the third most-watched NCTS race on FS1 this season behind only Atlanta (Race 2, 775,000) and Daytona in February (Race 1, 1.3 million), and as the No. 1 sports telecast on FS1 for the week ahead of all MLB, IndyCar, and horse racing competition. It was the most-watched NCTS race on cable from Michigan since 2013 (783,000). No direct YoY comparison, as last year\u2019s race aired on FOX broadcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[355,99],"class_list":["post-700058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}